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Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management

Healthcare Emergency Management Competencies, Curriculum and Certification Recommendations

Since 2004, the ICDRM has supported the development of an on-line Emergency Management Academy for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Institute is proud to assist the VA Medical Centers in preparing to respond to emergencies and disasters, and in maintaining critical healthcare services for those who served in the U.S. Uniformed Services.

Multiple products have been developed and are available for use by the VHA and other healthcare organizations seeking to improve or expand their emergency management program.

  • 2005: A comprehensive Healthcare Emergency Management Competency Framework was developed, plus emergency response and recovery competencies for all personnel (core competencies) and for specific healthcare job groups. Please click here for the Project Report, or here for competencies (Appendix A)
  • 2006: Emergency Management Principles and Practices for Healthcare Systems. This is a detailed instructional curriculum that presents the full spectrum of emergency management for healthcare professionals. The five-volume set addresses the history and concepts of Comprehensive Emergency Management, Hazard Vulnerability Analysis, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. The Incident Command System (ICS) and its many important principles are presented for understanding by healthcare professionals, and guidance is provided for incorporating ICS into a healthcare organization’s Emergency Operations Plan. Training, exercise, system evaluation and organizational learning are also covered in an instructional format. An extensive emergency management glossary is included. The full text is available without charge through the VHA web portal at: http://www1.va.gov/emshg/page.cfm?pg=122.
  • 2007: Recommendations for the development of an Emergency Management Certification Program for Healthcare System Leaders and Emergency Management Program Managers. A certification program white paper was developed and used to guide discussions during an initial stakeholders’ meeting, which occurred April 5, 2007. For a report on that meeting and the certification program white paper, please click here. For the final project report describing the proposed certification program, please click here.
  • 2007: The original emergency response and recovery competencies were revised, additional competencies for the remaining healthcare job groups were established, and emergency management program competencies for Healthcare Leaders and Emergency Managers were produced. The Competency Framework and comprehensive list of competencies supports the future certification program and provides a basis for training products produced for the VHA Emergency Management Academy. Please click here to download Appendix C, Healthcare Emergency Management Competencies.
  • 2009: The ICDRM Project Team is currently completing the development of additional competencies: Personnel Deployment Competencies for Distant Emergencies. A report on these competencies will be posted to the ICDRM web site in late July 2009.
  • 2009: The ICDRM Project Team is revising and expanding the curriculum Emergency Management Principles and Practices for Healthcare Systems, projected to be completed in December 2009.